Voters delivered dramatic changes to their local councils in the Westshore yesterday, electing new mayors in all but two governments—and one of those the mayor was unchallenged.
The biggest upset was in Langford, where the only elected mayor the city has ever known, Stew Young, lost his seat along with his whole slate. In View Royal another political newcomer, Sid Tobias, ousted sitting mayor David Screech, though the council didn't change much. Colwood's sitting Mayor Rob Martin was defeated by Coun. Doug Kobayashi by a significant majority. Sooke re-elected Mayor Maja Tait, and Highlands Mayor Ken Williams was accaimed.
By the time I called it a night in the wee hours of Sunday, Metchosin had yet to report its results, which will choose a new mayor to take over from John Ranns who retired.
Reporter, The Westshore
LANGFORD
Langford’s mayor of 30 years has been unseated, along with his council
Scott Goodmanson, a political newcomer, will be Langford’s new mayor, supported by Langford Now’s full slate of candidates and incumbent Lillian Szpak.
“Now we can do everything we’ve wanted to do,” Coun.-elect Mary Wagner said. Her colleagues at Langford Now were elected by a decisive majority, defeating the incumbent council, who had served in relative cohesion for decades.
At campaign headquarters (City Centre Grille in Langford) on Saturday night, Wagner recalled turning to 18-year council veteran Szpak for advice. “I’m thinking about running [for council] in four years, what do you think?”
Szpak’s answer was: “Don’t wait. Run this year.”
Wagner went on to earn 4,844 second only to Colby Harder, a 26-year-old political newcomer who earned 5,072 votes.
COLWOOD
Rob Martin soundly defeated by Doug Kobayashi
Doug Kobayashi, a one-term councillor, prides himself on listening. He has a habit of knocking on doors to find out what Colwood-ians think, and not just when he's asking for their vote, as he did this fall, as well as last year when he ran unsuccessfully against federal MP Randall Garrison. Listening is an integral part of his leadership style, he says.
“You find out things that you thought were true, and they’re not true. What matters to your constituency may be completely different from what they tell you nationally or provincially,” said Kobayashi.
Colwood's council will also have a mostly new slate; only two incumbent councillors were re-elected: Cynthia Day and Dean Jantzen. Ian Ward, founding director of the Royal Bay Homeowners' Association, which has become increasingly vocal at council meetings, earned the most votes of any councillor—2,476—followed by fellow newcomer David Grove, a former baker of the famed Royal Bay Bakery. The youngest candidate in BC, 19-year-old Steven MacAskill, missed his spot by just 24 votes.
VIEW ROYAL
Sid Tobias toppled incumbent mayor David Screech
Another upset has taken View Royal's council: Sid Tobias beat out incumbent mayor David Screech for the top spot. The vote for View Royal's new councillors was less competitive, with just seven candidates for six seats. All four incumbent councillors were re-elected, along with Allison MacKenzie and Don Brown who will fill the newly created fifth and sixth seats.
SOOKE
Minimal changes in Sooke, just one new councillor fills a vacant seat
All but one of the previous council were re-elected, save Ebony Logins who ran to be a school trustee instead. (Results for the Sooke School Board had not been reported by publishing time.) The new councillor is Kevin Pearson, who served on Sooke council from 2011 to 2018.
A group of candidates called "Elections for Change" said they were not a slate, though they shared a website and many of the same views. None were elected.
By the time this reporter called it a night in the wee hours of Sunday morning, Metchosin, Highlands, and the Sooke School Board had yet to post results.